Blaze of Fire
by ForeverSunshine80083
Summary: Riley Carmen is just another cocky, fearless and crazy teenager sick of being stuck in the normal, everyday world. So, when she finds a book that takes her right into Jotunheim, the land of the Frost and Rock Giants from Norse Mythology, things take quite the turn for her and eventually, she'll have to rely on Thor, the Thunder God and his cruel and seductive brother, Loki. Great.
1. Chapter 1

"**Blaze of Fire" **

**Chapter one**

_-The beginning-_

Haley pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. A tendril of soft smoke twirled in the sky, making me scrunch my nose up in disgust. She trained a dark brown eye on me and sighed dramatically, blowing smoke from her nostrils.

"What?" she asked in a flat tone. Her hair, a chocolate brown, was tied back in a loose braid slung over her shoulder. With studded bracelets and a pierced lip, she gave me a look of mischievous amusement.

I pretended to be cross and placed both hands on my hips. "How dare you smoke on school property when there is a sign obviously stating otherwise? Hayley Jordan, you make one messed up role-model for us younger folk."

Hayley choked laughter, rolling her eyes and handing me a cigarette. "You're kidding, right? It's not like ditching school was your idea. Anyway, here. Take one. I got my allowance yesterday and bought a bunch."

I picked up the cigarette and tried to throw it through the fence holes. "As if! You know how much I hate the smell. It's disgusting." Waving a hand in front of my face, I strained to fan the smoke away as Hayley blew it at me with a grin.

"You are such a wimp. It's really no big deal! Just breathe," she began, demonstrating. "And release. Totally awesome."

"Yep, lung cancer in a stick. Love it," I muttered.

Hayley was about to joke some response when her eyes went wide and she stopped, spitting the cigarette out of her mouth quickly. I turned, wondering what had spooked her and gasped. Mr. Darkwood appeared in front of me like an uninvited guest, scowling through small glasses. His face was pinched in anger and a bright red vein popped out of his forehead. My jaw dropped.

"Riley Jonnie Carmen! You—you—you . . . . Delinquent! What are you doing skipping school again? I talked to you about this already! This is the fourth time, young lady! And smoking?!" he shouted. I just leaned back a little and raised a hesitant eyebrow. It was something I did without even thinking and I could see my stupid math teacher get even angrier because of it. His hands balled into fists and his face turned an even brighter red. Somewhere, deep down, I began to actually fear a punishment. But just as quickly as the feeling came, I discarded it easily.

"Hey, hey, hey. Hold your horses, Larry; I was just looking for a restroom. A girl's gotta pee, you know?" I replied, using the repeated excuse once again. But the look Mr. Darkwood gave me didn't falter. He absolutely _hated_ it when students, like me, called him by his first name. But at the moment, he didn't even address that.

"Outside?!" he raged instead.

_Crap,_ I thought, mentally kicking myself in the face. I _really_ didn't think that one through.

"Excuse me, Mr. Darkwood?" Hayley asked in a little girl's voice. "Riley and I were just looking to get some fresh air, honest! We learned our lesson the last time we played hooky. My head was just hurting real bad; I swear."

Mr. Darkwood shifted his angry eyes towards me again, as if silently asking me if what Hayley had said was true, for some apparent reason. I managed to shrug and nod at the same time.

"It's true, La—Mr. Darkwood," I mumbled, staring at the ground. He let out a large huffy breath and grabbed both our wrists, pulling us back towards the school entrance. I stifled a groan. Stupid teacher was probably going to call my parents! Of course _they_ would be pleasantly surprised to find out that I was playing hooky again. They had _far_ too much fun punishing me the _last_ time.

Mr. Darkwood cleared his throat. "You guys are coming with me. Hayley, I'm taking you to the nurse's office and Riley, you're going to pay the teachers' lounge a visit," he snarled.

I stopped dead, feeling Mr. Darkwood try to yank me along. _The teacher's lounge._ A tiny little room with one barred window and a couch that could probably be classified as rock. Basically, it was just a holding cell for kids that needed further punishments because the principal's office wasn't any bigger than a closet. Honestly, this was possibly the worst punishment a girl could get. A stuffy old teacher's lounge with a side of extra homework and detention. Wonderful.

Hayley gave me a solemn look, shaking her head. She knew what I was in for by going to the teachers' lounge. She and I both heard the rumors about the haunted supply closet and all.

Spinning in a whirlwind of hair, Hayley looked over at me again and made a punching motion with her free hand, mouthing, "You hold him, I'll punch." I laughed uncertainly, but Mr. Darkwood took my laughter way differently.

"Why you little . . . . So? You think it's funny going to detention, huh?" he asked. I immediately shook my head, my eyes widening.

"Well then, consider this the punch line." He pushed me into the teachers' lounge and locked the door behind me.

"Wait!" I ran to the door and heard their footsteps stop. "I have a lawyer, you know! I'm sure this is legally torture!" I shouted through the door. Mr. Darkwood just laughed. I cringed at the sound. It was like he had just recently swallowed a bunch of nails and was trying to cough them up. Might as well shove glass down my ear.

"You are very funny, Miss Carmen—"

"Riley, it'll be okay. I'll figure this out. I promise," Hayley shouted from outside. Her words caused a brief slimmer of hope in my heart. That was, until I turned around and saw the room. All brief happiness was next squashed, stomped on, detonated and ultimately just destroyed.

I sat down on the rock-hard couch, crossing my arms angrily. Stupid Larry. I really hated that guy. So, instead, I pictured Hayley going to the nurse's office and stealing a lollipop like I knew she would. Great. What was I supposed to do now? And even worse, now _I_ wanted a lollipop.

My first plan of action was obviously an escape plan. Of course, the windows were barred, the door was locked from the outside and the walls were much too hard to punch. Although, the thought of me literally _breaking_ out was pretty awesome.

I clamped my hands down on the barred window, shaking and growling, wishing for some superhuman strength. It never happened and I slumped back down to the floor, sighing in defeat.

"Darn," I cursed. Next, I tried the door, but it was just as useless a plan as breaking through the walls. As of that moment, there was nothing I could do except sit and stare at an empty water cooler. Yep, I was having such a dashing afternoon.

With a sigh, I looked down at my watch. God, it had only been three and a half minutes. Thirty seconds later, I checked my watch again. Four minutes. Why did time have to go by so slow? Couldn't Larry just talk to the dang principal and have my parents come and pick me up already? Suspension was my next punishment anyway; not jail. This sucked.

For a little bit, all I did was toy with my ginger hair. I braided a strand, fishtailed a strand. I even pretended to cut a strand. Frowning, I counted each of my freckles on my cheeks in a dusty mirror nailed to the wall. And then I just stared at myself, wishing my eyes would magically turn green instead of blue. I hated my wide bright blue eyes. Even a dark blue, I would settle with. At least then, they wouldn't stick out like water in a desert. And even my clothes; a plaid red skit, pristine white shirt, and bright red tie, stuck out like a sore thumb. I had knee socks on. Freakin' white knee socks. This school was horrible.

As five more minutes rolled by, my mind wavered to the story of the haunted supply closet. Hayley had told me about it a couple months ago. Supposedly, a long time ago, a kid had gone in there and disappeared. Never to be seen again. I thought the person's name started with an 'A,' but I couldn't remember. All I knew was that it was time for me to check it out. Any escape was still an escape.

With a flick of my wrist, I had opened the door and hesitantly peered inside. It was surprisingly a lot bigger than I had first expected, with boxes stacked up onto each other, holding mysterious things that I couldn't yet see. Most likely pencils and notebooks, but I looked around in them anyway. I hadn't been wrong. They were filled to the brim with pencils, notebooks and dry erase boards. So far, the adventure was turning out to be something rather dull, so I planted my foot on one of the lower boxes and pulled myself up, climbing like a monkey.

"I am Riley Jonnie Carmen Antoinette," I said in a whisper. "Ruler of everything the world could ever offer." Closing my eyes, I imagined me in a huge intricate dress with beads and pearls and diamonds, holding a scepter in my right hand and feeling higher than life. My hair was up in an extravagant curls and I smiled, confidence surrounding me like a cloud. No one could touch me. I was powerful and in charge. No one would ever tell me no again. I would travel the seas like a madwoman, searching for treasure, beautiful land and riches. I would write about my adventures and people would love my stories, remembering me as a God, and not an outsider. Just because I decided to break the rules and try to be different, didn't mean I was weird. It just meant that I wasn't a civilized dog, following commands and doing what I was told.

In that moment, I felt a bit better. Even _happier_ than I did only minutes ago. I climbed higher, stepping on boxes that soon left me only a few feet from the ceiling. One last box to go and I was sitting at the top of the world, looking down on everyone else with an air of superiority. I was a God just then. Well, until I attempted to step on the last box. Instead of it being filled to the brim with pencils, notebooks and dry erase boards, this one was empty. My foot went straight through the box, hitting the bottom with a thud of crunching cardboard. My knee over-extended and I cried out in pain, falling forwards as if in slow motion. I still remember that last thought clear as day. My life didn't flash before my eyes like everyone else would say in a movie. I was just purely annoyed. This was like, _just_ the thing to happen to me. Of course the last box was empty, sending me falling forward, face first down the other side of the pyramid of boxes. Why had I ever thought otherwise?

"Crap," I cursed.

By the time I reached the bottom of the pyramid, I had bruised almost every bone in my body, even receiving a few cuts, too. Great, what was I going to tell the principal now? "Oh, sorry! I look like I was mauled by a bear because I tripped on a box. It's cool; I have this kind of luck all the time." That would have to do for the time being.

"Uhhg, God." I placed a hand down on one of the boxes to steady myself. My head ached and . . . . Well, pretty much the rest of my body did, too. What the heck was I thinking? Now I would have to climb all the way back _up_ the pyramid of boxes to get to the other side, where the door was. I sighed and leaned back against the wall in defeat, envisioning my funeral if the teachers ever found me back there. That's when a little keyhole on the wall to my right caught my attention. I tried to peer through it, but it was too small. Good thing I always carried around my trusty paper clip! Getting out of bad situations was kind of like my thing.

After a few failed attempts, I stopped. The keyhole was bound and determined to not cooperate. By now, though, I really didn't care. My urge for adventure had gone away half way down the fall, along with my dignity. It was beyond time to leave.

"Okay, let's just get the heck out of here," I told myself. By that point, it was the only thing keeping me going. The hope of principal Lenner finding me and sending me home.

Finally, when I reached the top again, I flipped the crushed box off, just for kicks. Even when it was all smashed and ripped up from my foot, it still looked kind of smug. I guess that's what I got for day dreaming of stupid things. That thought suddenly stung. But I pushed it away and prevailed.

Painfully, I placed my hand down on the crushed box, using it to help me to the top, when I felt something cold. A shiver immediately traveled through my body, making me gasp. What the heck was that?

Ever so carefully, I lifted up one of the flaps and peered inside. Under all the smashed cardboard was a rusty metal key about the size of my thumb nail. It was so tiny, for a second, I just stared at it, completely in awe. It was freaking adorable!

Then it occurred to me. This _had_ to be the key for that little keyhole in the wall! I had actually found it!

"Thanks smashed box, I love you!" I cried and basically slid down the boxes to the ground again. This was probably the single most awesome thing that had ever happened in my life. I had actually found a secret door. Maybe it would lead me to a bunch of people claiming to be my parents while trying to get me to sew buttons to my eyes? That would be so cool. Or maybe, it would lead me to a secret world where I would become queen and fight weird creatures and snow witches. That, or lead me to a white rabbit. Either one of those options would do. Preferably the latter, though.

With a click, the lock turned in the hole. A smile crossed over my lips as I tugged on the key, hoping to open the door. It wasn't hard; I just had to pull it open through a few layers of extra paint that covered it. Easy-peasy.

Dust flew up into the air as I yanked it open. I sneezed and coughed, trying to wave away the poof of dust bunnies as they ran down my throat. When it all finally cleared, I was staring into darkness. The door was probably only a few feet wide and a few feet tall, so I had to get down on my hands and knees to gaze inside. Wow, I couldn't believe what I was seeing! It was a treasure chest! I had finally found buried treasure!

"Heck, yeah!" I cried. Ignoring the pain in my arms, I grabbed the chest and pulled it through the little door. So, it wasn't a Wonderland or a secret land filled with centaurs and such or an alternate universe, but who cared? I had found treasure. I was frickin' rich.

"Come to mama, treasure," I whispered and I opened the box. . . . Books. Books?! Books. Old, dusty . . . . Books. My heart sank to the lowest low, enough so, that I felt like just leaping off the remaining boxes. But then, I realized how much possible money I could make from selling them online. Maybe those babies were worth something! I was certain old books like these could easily score in some bucks.

"What have we here?" I pulled out one of the books and blew dust off of it. It was a bible. _I_ had no use for it, but people loved those things. Money and were suddenly coming to mind.

The next book was a dictionary, an old one. I took a moment to flip through it and a bunch of words instantly came to mind. _Euphonious: Adjective, pleasant in sound and agreeable to the ear. Serendipity: Noun, an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident. Good fortune and luck. Sagacity: Noun, an acuteness of mental discernment and soundness of judgment. Elysian: Adjective, blissful and/or delightful. _

"Whoa," I mumbled, my mind reeling as I put the book down. Odd, but not at all painful or bad. Just weird. _Definitely_ weird.

I picked up the third and final book and blew dust off the cover, running my fingers lightly over the golden font. _The Universal Tree: Norse Gods and Goddesses. _My eyes lit up excitedly.

"Score!" I said. My heart suddenly began to race as I picked up the book. The first page read: "WARNING! DO NOT READ UNLESS INTERESTED IN TRAVELING." Oh my God, I thought. I _was _interested in traveling! Was it going to give me some tips or something, I wondered? I sure hoped so. Anything would do.

With care, I flipped to a random page and began to read it aloud. "Jotunheim, the realm of the Frost and Rock Giants. A cold wasteland that harbors—" and all of a sudden, I was cut off. It appeared, to me, that my hand was _stuck_ to the book. Literally! I tried to pull my flat hand off the pages but it wouldn't give.

"What the heck?" I asked no one. Raising a ginger eyebrow, I used my other hand to try and pry my stuck hand off the book, but it ended up getting stuck, too. Now, _this_ was starting to freak me out. I didn't want to just rip my hand off the page, but it was starting to look like I needed to. With all my strength, I pulled on the frail pages, but my hands just sank deeper. The pages seemed to melt into a liquid mess, causing me to sink deeper and deeper into the book. By about that point, I was elbow deep in the stuff, trying to keep my head from it in case I started suffocating. It was like quick sand. The more I moved to try and pull my hands out of the book, and yes, I meant "pull my hands out of the book," I sank deeper! That's when it began to bubble and I got my hair caught in it. Why hadn't I put my hair up before I went to school? I had been thinking about it earlier . . .

"Ahk, leggo, you stupid book!" I yelled. Now I was scared. The book was eating more and more of my beautiful ginger hair. Soon, my whole head would be under for sure. And just as I thought that, I sank deeper, up to my shoulders. The weird liquid was cold and sticky, sucking me under the melting pages.

And then there was darkness. My head went under, sinking farther and farther down into nothingness. I couldn't breathe. My lungs were empty of air and I couldn't even open my mouth to swallow whatever it was that I was falling into. But soon, I was let go and I fell toppling to the ground. The first thing I realized was the cold. But it wasn't just your average cold, either. It was a _suffocating_ cold. The cold that sank into your bones and froze them solid, leaving them aching all over. My cuts and bruises burned. I was hurting all over; an unmoving ball of pain, standing there in nothing other than my lame old school uniform. Hill after hill of snow and snowflakes was all I could see. I felt my eyes begin to close.

The thundering sound of crushing ice awoke me from my half-sleep. An emergency trouble alarm in my body kicked on and I stood up, trying to ignore the searing fire from the cold.

"Help!" I screamed, lungs burning. "Somebody, please! Help me!" Where was I? What the _heck_ was happening? Was I dead? Wait, of course not; I was in severe pain. Duh, I wasn't dead, but I would be in a matter of minutes unless I got help. I figured I was probably somewhere near Antarctica, so . . . . . I was screwed.

"Help— " I stop short, seeing someone's dark figure off in the short distance. A person! A human! I was alive, I was saved! Yes! I ran towards the figure, pushing through the snow with all my might. All the while, trying to ignore the water seeping into my knee high socks.

"Hey! Hey, you! Can you help me?"

As I got closer to the figure, I soon realized it was male. Thank God! Guys were strong. They saved damsels in distress all the time.

The man stood there, his eyes narrowing and his head tilting just a little to the right. Two green eyes glowed back at me, a million years of pain behind them.

Just before my legs buckled under me, I tried to wrap my arms around him to keep myself from falling, but I fell anyway. Snow hit my skin like a slap in the face. When I looked up, the man was gone. I did a 360 turn around, but the man was nowhere to be seen, as if he had never been there. But that was impossible! He was there, I knew he was. The man with a million years of pain behind his eyes. . . . I wouldn't make that up!

"Please! Come back! I need your help!" I yelled up at the purple skies. But he was gone now and silence was my only answer. I was going to die here.


	2. Chapter 2

****Chapter two****

**-The first visit-**

My head drooped, hair spilling over my shoulders and blowing in the breeze. My fingers and toes were numb; my breath was coming out around me like clouds of smoke and the chattering of my teeth could probably be heard a mile away. That son of a gun! Why didn't he frickin' help me? And where the heck did he go? People didn't just vanish into thin air . . . . But I guess people imagined things. Was it really possible that I had imagined him? I didn't have a history of mental unstable-ness, but it was definitely possible.

That's when I saw them. Big, huge, ugly . . . beasts. Their skin was a dull gray color and their pupil-less eyes were probably the brightest blood-red color I had ever seen. If I thought I was crazy a second ago, I was definitely mental now. I had gone insane. Off the edge! There was no way—no way!—I had landed in Jotunheim, through the book. That was impossible, totally impossible.

One of them spoke as the group of at least five surrounded me, their bodies easily standing to almost ten feet tall. "Well, well, well, Goblergroan. Looks like we've caught us a pretty mortal girl. Laufey will surely be proud."

A different monster clubbed the first one in the head. "Gibberish, Malkin. I saw 'er first."

"Nuh-uh! You saw me pointin,' didn't ya? Right, Dyfross?"

The one presumed as Dyfross shook his head. "You're both nuggle-heads. Obviously the one who gets 'er is me. I am the one closest to her now!" he explained and moved to grab my arm. I shrieked and flinched from his huge fingers.

All six of them growled, their eyes like angry pools of red. I just sat there, frozen in more ways than one. My mouth was wide open, but my eyes were probably even wider. These things were huge and scary. I shivered to the bone.

"P-p-p-please, d-d-d-don't hurt m-me," I chattered. They tilted their heads, staring at me like I was an animal in an exhibit. "On, sec-c-cond thought," I muttered. "K-k-kill me quick."

"Let's just eat her!" One shouted. The others cheered and advanced towards me, but before I could tell them I tasted horrible stringy, someone else's voice stopped them. "Enough! This mortal girl poses no threat. I shall return to her realm immediately." Snarling in anger, the giants parted and the man from earlier became visible, his arms crossed and his dark hair blowing against the wind. He looked human, but completely at ease. How was he not freezing to death?

At first, I wanted to be angry at him for leaving me in the middle of nowhere, but I decided that getting angry at the person who was currently saving my life probably wasn't a good idea. If I wanted to live, that is.

Ever so gingerly, he picked me up, his angular face remaining impassive. I wanted to say something, but my tongue was frozen solid.

As he held me, I expected to feel warmth from his chest, but he remained freezing. He provided little to no body heat whatsoever. It was like he was just as cold as those Giants. It creeped me out a little, but this man was hopefully saving my life. Whether he was hot or cold was soon forgotten.

"Are you t-t-t-taking m-me home?" I asked. He sighed in an un-amused fashion, his dark eyebrows knitting together tightly. "I presume that is what you wish, do you not?" he replied, his voice smooth as silk. An unfamiliar accent rolled off his tongue. And all I could muster in reply was a vigorous nod. He smiled ruefully.

In the blink of an eye, colors appeared around me. At first, I thought I was going to pass out, but I remained awake. The colors soon started to blend into one another, creating almost something of a rainbow. My eyes widened, and all at once, they disappeared, just as quickly as they had appeared in the first place. And surprisingly, I was standing back in the teachers' lounge in Vivian High. The air was warm and stuffy and I felt myself being laid down on the rock hard couch. I was back to where I started. But . . . how?

Finally, my skin and muscles started to thaw and I could talk again. I bolted upright.

"How did I— " I began to ask aloud. The man looked up at the ceiling and mumbled something inaudible. The rainbow colors returned, appearing like tiny snowflakes in the air. He was leaving.

"Wait! Who are you?" I asked. He looked back at me just before the colors blurred into one another, a smile crossing over his lips.

"Your God," was all he said, before he disappeared into nothing. I stood up and walked to where the man had just been standing, looking up at the ceiling. I seriously needed a doctor.

"Riley Carmen! There you are!" the principal said from behind. On my heel, I spun around and saw Mr. Darkwood and the principal, Mrs. Lenner. Their faces were flushed and bright red for some reason. Taking a quick look at myself, I noticed the inevitable. I was soaking wet.

"Riley, what on earth happened to you?" Mrs. Lenner gasped.

Mr. Darkwood scowled. "I told you not to leave this room! You were to stay here until we came and got you! Why must you feel the need to do the _opposite _of what everyone tells you to do?!" he asked. The vein in his forehead was popping again. But for once, Mrs. Lenner came to my rescue. "Calm down, Larry, everything is fine. She obviously just . . . . Got wet. I don't know how or why, but that's really not the problem. Riley, your parents are here." Oh, goodie, more yelling and raging, I thought bitterly.

"Riley Jonnie Carmen, what did I tell you about playing hooky?! You knew the consequences, yet you deliberately went out of your way to do it anyway. I am absolutely ashamed of you!" my mom cursed dramatically. It was all I could do to not groan.

"Lily, darling, I can handle this. Riley, come on, you're grounded. Let's go. Mrs. Lenner, I am so very sorry for the trouble. I assure you, this _won't_ be happening again." My dad glared at me. I looked at the ground and rolled my eyes. Man, parents freaked out over everything. It wasn't like I attempted to commit suicide or anything.

"It's no problem, Mr. Carmen. I'm sure your daughter had a reason for what she did, but I'm afraid rules are rules. Suspension for three days is the next punishment in line for her, as well as detention when she returns. Riley, I really do hope to see some better improvement in your behavior when you return. Mr. Darkwood told me that you and your friend Hayley were not being respectful to him earlier this afternoon. Is that true?" Mrs. Lenner asked. Okay, it was time for full on defense mode. "What?! All that man says are lies! He's a liar, you hear me? A liar!" I retorted.

Mr. Darkwood opened his mouth to say something else, but Principal Lenner interrupted him.

"That's enough, Mr. Darkwood. I see no reason that you should be here anyway. Go back to your classroom, please," she commanded. I smiled smugly, getting a glare from my mother. Her look read: I am _so_ going to kill you when we get home.

"Again, I am very sorry for my daughter's lack of respect for adults. I will try to get some sense into her. Thank you, Mrs. Lenner," my father said.

"Really, it's no problem. Please, have a nice day." Ha! Yeah right. If that wasn't a laughing matter, I didn't know what was.

The moment I stepped inside my house, I was sent to my room. I had my phone taken away. I was grounded. My window was nailed shut so I couldn't climb out and I was banished to my bed for the next eternity or so. But honestly, my brain was still reeling from the lecture about respect for elderly people and adults that both my mom _and_ dad decided to give. Why they thought I was going to change just because they said so was beyond me. But there were things more troubling at the moment. One of them involving teleporting people and the other, a frozen wasteland. But in the end, there was no way I could ever possibly explain it. And after some serious though, I convinced myself it never happened. I never almost drowned in a book. I was never rescued by a strange guy who seemed insane. I never met the Frost Giants. It was all just a crazy dream. Nothing more. Besides, even if I had the insane capacity to actually _tell_ someone about what I had seen, or thought I had seen, I would probably just end up in a mental hospital for crazy people.

"Did you like, fall in a puddle or something on your way here? You look like you just swam a mile."

I spun around to face my older brother. He was standing there, leaning against my door frame as if he owned the place. My right eyelid twitched.

"It's nothing. I just took a shower," I answered irritably, flipping through a magazine with angry intension.

But Ricky obviously wasn't finished yet. "In your clothes?!" he exasperated.

"Maybe I forgot they were on?!"

His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something else, but mom called instead.

"Ricky! Come down and do the dishes, please! Now would be nice!"

My lips upturned in a smile and I stopped on a page with some neat jeans on it. "Yeah, Ricky, go do the dishes. Mommy beckons," I muttered without looking up. Before I could see his evil eye, I quickly picked up a sharpie and circled some clothing, looking busy while he fumed.

"Whatever, Riley," he cursed. "You still look like an idiot." I pretended to be offended until he walked downstairs. He might be twenty-two, but he sure acted like a fifteen-year-old boy, still living with his parents and all. I was in high school, what was his excuse?

After about three minutes of silence, I tossed the magazine aside and pulled out my back-up phone. A girl like me who lost her phone more than her mind definitely needed a back-up. Of course, my parents had no idea.

I checked for any new texts from Hayley and saw none. For a moment, I was a little sad. She _had_ kind of left me in the dark since this morning.

Due to the fact I was still pretty cold and shaky from my last little adventure, I decided to take a shower. Thank the heavenly _lord_ that I had a bathroom and a shower to myself. If I had to share one with Ricky, I would drop dead.

The water was nice and refreshing from my last cold experience. I was still working out the quirks on that one . . . No. I was _not_ going to go there. That never happened. Mind over matter was my only option left.

I cranked the shower off and wrapped a towel around my chest. Droplets of water splattered to the floor as I stepped out of the tub to grab my brush. That's when I jabbed my foot into the edge of the cabinet. A jolt of pain spiked up my foot and I cursed aloud, growling. Another annoying bruise to add to my collection. Great.

My foot throbbed as I limped back towards my bed, plopping down on the mattress. At the moment, I didn't care that my hair was soaking my pillow. I just needed to stop . . . _doing_ things for a moment. Suddenly, my back-up cell phone buzzed and I jumped, looking around the room. Stupid thing, where'd I put it? I picked up my old wet jeans to see if I tossed them over it, but it wasn't there. A tiny thud made me pause, jeans still in my hands. It sounded like a bug had just dropped from the ceiling. Seriously, universe?

I looked down, expecting to see a little gross beetle or something, and just as I was going through the different plans of attack, I saw the key. The tiny, thumb nail key from earlier. What the heck? I thought I left that thing with those crazy stupid boxes. Strange. But annoyingly, part of me wanted to check it out again. Of course, the other part of me raged. I was three minutes close to _dying_ the last time; who the heck knows what would happen next? I could wander into some . . . some, some desert or something! Or worse, get eaten by hideous monsters. Something told me my parents would frown upon that situation. But I did have an odd affinity for strange and obscure things . . .

"No, I'm not even going to think about that. I'm going to relax, read a book, study, take another shower and enjoy life with my family while on suspension. Nothing else." I dropped the key into the trash to prove my point.

Well . . . maybe that wasn't _exactly_ what happened. In fact, I had quickly gotten dressed, found a hammer to pry the nails from my window and successfully was able to climb down the tree without severely injuring myself any further. And so, after ten minutes of waiting for a dang bus, sitting with a bunch of strangers and paying another one, I was outside my school property trying to break in. That was definitely a first.

Five minutes had officially gone by. I was still standing outside the barred window of the teacher's lounge, trying to muster up a little heat vision or something. A lock pick wasn't going to magically get me through a barred window. But more importantly, who the heck barred school windows anyway? It wasn't like every robber in town is just _itching_ to get inside our lame teachers' lounge.

"Come on, Riley, think of something. Use that illegal brain of yours," I commanded to myself. This was going to be harder than I thought. Well, there was only one thing left to do. Sneak in the front entrance and pray to God that no innocent bystander was in there. It seemed, to me, like a pretty fool-proof plan, unless someone walked down the hall or left their classroom. Crap.

But the inevitable was this: I couldn't just stand there like an idiot forever. So, taking a deep breath and practicing to walk quietly, I snuck around to the front entrance and decided to go in the hard way. The front door.

So far it was so good! The halls were long and empty as usual. Lunch time was going on just about now. The carpeted floors provided nice cushioning so my rubber shoes didn't squeak or slam down on tile. I had pretty much made it all the way to the teachers' lounge without anyone seeing me. That was, until Jared bumped into me. I nearly screamed in surprised. His hazel eyes widened and he let his jaw drop to the floor.

"J-Jared! Oh, hey, buddy! What's up?" I leaned casually on the lockers to look completely at ease and not the least bit suspicious. "How's it goin'?"

He looked confused. "I thought you were suspended, Riley?" he asked.

"Me? Nah, that was just Mr. Darkwood lying again. Have you heard how much he lies? Like, all the time, I found out. We all think it's becoming a problem," I lied.

Jared crossed his arms. "Look. I'm a straight-A student, so don't think I'm stupid. I want fifty."

I gasped. "Fifty?! I thought the price was twenty-five!"

"That was then. This is now. Fifty or I go tell Dr. Darkwood about your surprise visit."

I growled. "Fine," I muttered. Jared smiled. "Nice doin' business with you—"

The sound of a door opening made me jump. I slid into the teacher's lounge easily and listened to see if Jared was going to rat me out. My breaths hitched.

"Hello, Jared. Were you just talking with someone?" I heard Mr. Darkwood ask through the door. Oh God, I silently pleaded he wouldn't rat me out

"Oh, was I? I was just trying to remember my locker combination, sir. Sorry for the bother," Jared covered.

And just like that, I was a free woman. Maybe Jared wasn't so bad after all.

I slipped the cash under the door and continued on my mission. If I was going to travel into a book, I wasn't going to need cash anyway, right? That would just be weird . . . . Right?

Just when my luck seemed to be looking up, I opened the door to find that the closet was empty. The boxes were gone, the key hole was gone; even the light bulb was gone! It was just a quiet, dark chamber filled with nothing but shadows and dismay. I couldn't have imagined it. My clothes were wet! I had the key in my hand! I had seen those Frost Giants with my own eyes! They were real! Was it actually possible that when I fell down those boxes . . . I had passed out and someone had moved me to the couch? That everything I thought had happened was just a dream? There's no way . . . that—that would be impossible!

"No . . . " I whispered. The one interesting thing in my life. My first actual escape . . . . And it was gone; just like that. I was just normal Riley again. A nobody in a school full of more nobodies.

I slumped to my knees and laid back on the dirty carpet, splaying my arms out like a bird. My life suddenly had no meaning. I was a nothing. No, I was worse than a nothing. I was a crazy person for ever believing what I saw. Stupid boxes, stupid key, stupid imagination, and worst of all . . . stupid Riley.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Jared had quietly crept into the room and sat down next to me. I was just too disappointed to notice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Perfect even. Why do you ask?" I snapped. Jared snorted and pocketed out my crumpled up fifty bucks, placing it carefully on my forehead. "Something tells me you didn't get what you came for," he murmured.

It was my turn to snort. "What gave it away?" I retorted.

"Because you look like someone just came and killed your cat," he mumbled. "I didn't know Riley Carmen could _feel _disappointment." My throat constricted suddenly, as if I might cry. Why was I acting so touchy? And, could he be any ruder to me?

"Yeah, well, you learn something new every day. Congrats." And just like that, Jared got up and left. He didn't say anything else like a goodbye or a defense or anything. He just left. I heard the door close behind me and I sniffed.

But when I sat back up, fifty dollars fell into my lap. My heart paused for a sec. He had come in to check on me _and_ gave me back my money. Probably thought I was stealing something, but still. For the first time ever, serious gratitude bloomed inside me.

As a half an hour chugged by, I just sat there and turned the key over and over in my hands. It was so small; I could probably swallow it whole if I wanted to. Both of my parents worked during the day, so I could pretty much stay here as long as I liked. It wasn't like anyone came in here anyway. The doorknob had been gathering dust before Mr. Darkwood locked me in there yesterday. Not many kids acted out or anything. Most of them followed the rules and played nice with the rest of the students. I, on the other hand, got along more with myself and Hayley than anyone I could think of. People thought I wasn't pleasant. What the heck did _that_ mean? I'm probably the most pleasantest person they've ever met. I am totally pleasant. I practically _radiated_ pleasantries. Come on. But one thing was for sure; I wasn't a psycho. I didn't just imagine things like that. Besides, I had no idea the word "sagacity" even existed until yesterday, much less know what it meant. Facts couldn't argue with that.

So, on that brief high note, I brushed ginger hair behind my shoulder and stood up, bound and determined. So help me, I was going to _make_ a keyhole.

With new confidence, I sat up and made my way towards the closet. The room was dark, but I couldn't care less. Carefully, I placed a hand on the wall just in case I decided to take another spill today. Those things could happen at any point in time with me.

When I took my hand off the wall to pull the key out of my pocket, I made a surprising realization. Oh my God, my hand was covered in paint. Dark red paint, just like the color of the room. Someone, recently, had painted over the walls! No frickin' way. Now, I was even more convinced.

Making my way to the back of the room, I poked the key into the wall generally where the hole had been earlier. I didn't know _exactly_ where it was, but I knew the general area. That was for sure. When I found it, the key slipped right through the slowly drying paint and turned in the lock. For some reason, my heart was pounding. I couldn't recall a time I felt more excited.

Way cool.

With little force, I pulled open the door and yanked out the box that was inside. When I was greeted with a head ache full of words and meanings, I knew I had touched the wrong book, but eventually, found the right one. It was still there. Still in the little wooden box in a hole in the wall. I let out a sigh of relief. Okay, so I wasn't crazy. That was good. I even had _myself_ worried for a second.

I quickly flipped through the pages until I found the one I wanted. The familiar sensation of stickiness came over me and I started to slowly sink into the liquidly substance as I had before, but this time, I pushed forward instead of pulling backwards. The process was a lot quicker in this instance, I noted. And I wasn't completely terrified as I had been before.

Headfirst, my hands and knees hit the grassy ground with a soft thud and a smile brightened up my face at the view. I seemed to be standing atop a mountain, starring down at a city made of pure gold. Castles and buildings towered over the land like beautiful gold mountains. Just like the picture on the page. I had never felt so amazing in my life. It was so amazing; in fact, I even snapped a picture of it on my back-up cell phone, for kicks. Totally a keeper.

"No . . . frickin' . . . way," I marveled. At that moment, I felt utterly at peace. It wasn't a cold, freezing wasteland as it had been before. I was actually standing on a mountain, staring into the city of Asgard, right where the book told me I'd be. It felt like I had just won the lottery. That was, until a pair of hands grabbed my mouth and waist. I cried out in surprise.

"What kind of maniacal sorcery is this? How did you get through to here? Has Heimdall let you pass?" someone growled.

I struggled and whimpered, unable to even _try_ to escape from the man's iron grip. My eyes widened as I felt myself being squeezed.

"Tyr! You are scaring to poor child! She is obviously lost. Let her be," another man said. This man, who stood in front of me, had a soft look to him, like he couldn't possibly hurt a fly. White blonde hair fell down his shoulders in silky strands and two crystal blue eyes gleamed in the morning light.

The man presumed as "Tyr" spoke up again, under his breath. "Honestly, Balder, you would think even _Fenris_ has good in him," he muttered and dropped me to the grass. I fell like a sack of potatoes.

As I struggled to stand, my eyes widened to saucers. I couldn't believe I was actually standing in front of two Asgardians. I mean, it was unbelievable! I instantly took out my phone and snapped another pic.

"Witch!" Tyr cried. He lunged for my phone and I squealed as he ripped it from my hands. He crushed it like a dead leaf in his strong hands. I was speechless. Balder just laughed a hearty bellow.

"Come, mortal. We shall send you back to your realm immediately," Balder said. He gently placed his hand on my shoulder and started to move me towards the path that led down the mountain side. Okay, I had to admit, losing my backup phone kind of made me sad, because I had taken some freaky awesome pictures, but right now, home was that last place I wanted to go. Minus the place I went last time. So, I guess, home was the _second _to last place.

"Wait! No! You can't send me back. I—I want to stay here. Please. You don't know how unhappy I am back at my . . . . Realm," I managed to say. Being this close to characters in a book was kind of making me tongue-tied.

Tyr frowned. "You do not belong here. We shall return you back to Midgard at once."

"Lighten up, Tyr. Do you see this girl causing an ounce of harm?" Balder picked me up by the waist and lifted me above his head to prove his point. I winced. These guys could crunch every bone in my body like a tooth pic in five seconds, tops. I didn't want to become road-kill or whatever they called it here.

Tyr was silent, his dark brown eyes untrusting. His silence encouraged Balder to go on. "Flame hair," he addressed me. "What is your title?" My mind went blank. What . . . exactly, was a title? My title? Did I even have a . . . oh. I got it seconds after he had spoken. My name, of course.

"Um, Riley," I answered timidly.

"Um-Riley, it is my pleasure to meet you. Come, we shall take you to the grand tower and send word to our king. He shall determine what is to become of you," he said in a familiar accent much like the man who had rescued me before. I thought about asking Balder about it, but was swung off my feet and carried down the mountain like a plaything instead. I tried not to gawk at the broad sword strapped over Balder's shoulder that appeared to be much wider than my own hand as I was being carried down the mountain side. But it was insanely difficult.

Mostly, I just tried to be calm and not afraid. I silently told myself to relax, asking the worst question I possibly could. _What could possibly go wrong?_

{Thanks for reading! I'd love a review! :D}


	3. Chapter 3

****Chapter Three****

**-Asgard-**

The breeze was warm and inviting as Balder carried me down the mountain side. And save for the glares of contempt from Tyr, my worries seemed to just drift away. For once, I actually kind of felt secure. It was a silly thing, being carried by a God that existed merely in books. But, I thought I kind of liked it. Balder was kind and didn't hesitate to strike up a conversation or ask a question here or there.

Balder stopped at the edge of a carriage-path, I noticed, as a huge golden coach rolled by, pulled by four colossal horses. "Um-Riley," Balder started. "Excuse me for asking this, but you see . . . . We do not exactly get mortals dropping into our realm every day. How _did_ you get here? And have you not met Heimdall?" He tilted his head towards me and I stared at the ground, trying to think of a coherent answer.

"First of all, you can call me Riley, by the way," I started with a smile. "And honestly, I—I don't know. I just kind of . . . ended up here, I guess. Is that bad?" I asked, trying to change the subject. Deep down, for reasons unknown to me, I felt the need to cover up my tracks. As if admitting the truth was going to cause me some sort of harm. I wasn't sure. Maybe I just needed time to sort through right and wrong. Reality and fantasy. Day and dream.

Balder furrowed his bushy blonde eyebrows. "I would like to say your sudden appearance is a gift, but many a-fallen stranger has turned out to be quite troublesome," he murmured wistfully. "But I choose to remain optimistic. In my mind, not all strangers are villains."

Tyr snorted loudly, his one hand resting against his broad sword. "I shall remain as I am until the word of our King is spoken. Although your kindness is an endowment, Balder, it can lead to much destruction. The Allfather shall know what to make of this," Tyr muttered. It was the first time he'd spoken in a while. I noticed, then, his one missing hand and wondered suddenly how he had lost it.

I strained to look back at Try over Balder's shoulder. "If it's worth anything, I promise I don't have any secret plans to take over the world. Besides, those swords must weigh at least a hundred pounds. My arms would fall off before I'd carry one of those," I injected. Part of me hoped to clear the air a bit. Maybe even relieve my own anxieties.

Baldr bellowed laughter. It seemed to lighten my spirits a little, but it disappointed me to see that Tyr was still frowning.

"Looks can be deceitful," he answered darkly.

After that, I quieted up, letting Balder carry me in almost-silence. The birds still chirped and wagons still rolled by. Quite a few passengers would look out the windows and stare at me as if I had six or seven heads. It was nerve wracking at times.

That was when the castle came into view. It was huge, probably hundreds of feet tall and made of pure, sparkling gold. Just a chip of it could probably be at least worth a couple hundred bucks back home. My head swooned. So much money . . . But I struggled to push the thought from my greedy head. I suddenly yearned to take a picture, but darn Tyr had up and broken my phone.

Balder, gently, placed me back on my feet, offering me a grand smile. "All right, miss. This is where we shall depart for the moment. Though I am beginning to trust you—Valhalla knows why—bringing you to our King immediately is out of the question," Balder informed. "I do not think it best to intrude on such short notice. We shall return shortly. Please, wait here."

My heart shuddered. "But—I want to go, too!" I protested. '_Don't leave me,' _I wanted to add as well, but left it out instead. Why bother reminding them how weak I truly was? What they knew now was okay for the time being.

Balder sighed and shook his head. Tyr looked restless next to him, as if he had somewhere to be and wasn't very keen on wasting any more time.

"I am truly sorry, mortal," Balder replied. And with that, both of them turned and made their way up the stairwell leading to the front entrance, leaving me behind.

The moment they left, I felt all self control and coolness leave my body. "Oh, my God!" I squealed like a fan girl. "I can't believe it!" This was like a frickin' dream come true! Part of me still thought this could all possibly be some crazy, wacked up dream, but hey! I might as well enjoy it while it lasted.

The sound of rustling leaves and bushes brought me back to where I was and my fear returned. What was that? What if someone saw me and thought I was evil? Would they attack me? I shivered at the thought and darted behind a statue made of pure gold. It was shaped as a man, I quickly noticed, riding an eight legged horse with a long spear in his hand. If circumstances were different, I would have admired it longer, but someone was still lurking in the shadows. Someone that could be a threat . . .

I did a quick look-around of the entire courtyard and found no one, but I still felt watched. Like there was someone—or something—in the trees, watching me . . . . I shivered. But as only silence ensued for another minute or so, I let out a sigh of relief. Probably just a bird or something.

Turning around to head back to the entrance, I felt someone's hand press against my mouth, keeping me from crying out. She pressed me against the wall of a gold column and I squealed in fright. But as I soon realized, the woman didn't look menacing at all. In fact, her blue eyes were level and controlled. That's when I noticed her hair. It was long, spilling down to her ankles, a sea of shining gold.

"Please, do not scream; I need your assistance. I am looking for Modi and Magni. Have you seen them? Two little boys? Blonde hair? Oh, _please_ tell me you have seen them!" she pleaded. My eyes were wide, and when she finally took her hand away from my mouth, I was completely speechless. Scared into silence. She didn't even say anything about me being new at all.

"Oh, please," she muttered exasperatedly. "Do not tell me I scared you!" The woman looked surprised, as if the mere thought of me actually being scared of someone popping out of nowhere and grabbing me from behind was odd. I gaped, but eventually retrieved my tongue from the ground.

"Uh, no, I haven't. Sorry!" was all I could manage to choke.

She sighed, her shoulders sagging. "As I well thought. On any given day, I would call Th—_my husband,_ to come help me, but I do not wish to worry him. Thank you, though." And on that note, she walked off, muttering gibberish to herself the whole time. How odd.

"Um-Riley? Um-Riley!" someone was calling my name from afar. Or what they perceived to be it from my stupid blunder.

With a burst of speed, I jogged back to where Balder and Tyr had left me only moments ago. "Hey! Sorry, just got . . . side-tracked." I shook my head. "Anyway, what did the Odin say? I mean his majesty." I mentally made a note to find out some better way to address the king.

Balder, as good natured him, laughed his charming laughter. I already liked him. He was much better to talk to than the snobby teacher, Mr. Darkwood. By a mile.

"You may call him by his first title as you are not under the Allfather's rule. It is well. And he wishes to meet you, but now is not the greatest time. I am afraid Loki has made a bit of a mess of things, as usual," he mumbled the last part. "But he will allow you to stay with the other Aesir ladies until we can further figure arrangements out. I am here to escort you to them."

That seemed fairly reasonable. It made sense. But why on _earth _was I feeling déjà vu when Loki's name was mentioned? I mean, I had read about him before, that part was true, but it felt like . . . . I didn't know.

"I guess that makes sense . . . . " I said, echoing my thoughts. Balder smiled. It lit up his face like a fire cracker.

"Great! Then follow me." He motioned for me to walk with him and I followed suit, telling myself to just listen and not faze out like I did whenever any other adult spoke.

As I walked, the city was even more marvelous than I ever imagined! Everything appeared to be made of gold. I couldn't believe my eyes. Every way I turned, there were people clothed in anything from dresses and gowns to plain tunics and armor that glittered in the sun. I sighed.

"Are you not well, Riley?" Balder asked, finally using my real name.

I plastered the brightest smile to my face, feeling my cheeks ache. "Everything's great! I'm just still trying to process a few things. It's not every day that something like this happens to me. Adventures are something to be feared and avoided back where I live. Earth or whatever."

"Asgard is a magnificent place. Of course, you have arrived in more dire times than usual. I fear it may be hard for the rest of us to trust you. But from the way our King spoke of you, he sees much greatness."

I felt my cheeks turn pink. "Wow, I don't know what to think of that just about yet. To tell you the truth, I'm a little scared."

Balder frowned. "Do not be. We wish of you no harm. Only peace. Of course, many other realms feel differently. Even Midgard. But if our King has faith in you, than so do I."

A part of me smiled at his confidence, but another part of me winced. I wished I could share in his contentment, but it was hard. This all seemed to be happening too soon too fast. I was excited for an adventure, but one this big had to come with a price.

I was about to ask about the man who had rescued me earlier, but wasn't able to. Someone cut me off.

"Balder!" she cried.

A girl with light brown hair that was distinctively the color of bark wrapped her arms around Balder, burying her face in the crook of his neck. She was insanely short, maybe just a little shorter than me, but her face wore the age of a mother. Her eyes crinkled familiarly when she smiled.

"Ah, Nanna, my love," Balder spoke in a soft hush. From the way they embraced and kissed, it seemed like a safe bet to say this woman was probably Balder's wife, but anything was possible here, it seemed. But mystery aside, she was very beautiful, as was every other Asgardian woman I passed.

When I looked away as they kissed again, I saw the woman I had met earlier. She seemed to still be looking around for the two little kids she had mentioned. That's when I felt someone tug on my shirt. I looked down at a little blonde haired boy with huge blue eyes that shone like the sky. A genuine smile tugged at my lips, making me squat down.

"Excuse me," he whined.

I tilted my head, realizing something instantly. "Well, hello there little guy. That woman has been going mad over you. Is she your mom?" I asked in a hushed whisper. The boy looked bashful and shy, staring down at the ground and kicking up dirt. His eyes briefly traveled to a large grape tree that caught my attention. Another pair of identical blue eyes popped out from within the green. The other one . . .

"Come on; let's go to your mom. She—she misses you," I managed. The boy shook his head and whimpered. "She will make us clean. I don't wanna." That got a bit of a laugh out of me.

"I'll help you. Get your brother." With that, the little boy reluctantly ran back to the grape tree, slinking in the shadows like a spy.

"Um-Riley?" Balder interrupted and I held back a sigh. Just when I thought the 'Um-Riley' was over . . . "This is my wife, Nanna," Balder finished. I jumped to my feet and looked back at the small woman. She smiled kindly and said hello. I said hello back and we exchanged in small conversation, but my mind was still on the little kids, who were nowhere in sight.

"I'm sorry," I eventually started. "But what is the name of that woman with the gold hair over there?" I asked Nanna. She turned around to see who I was speaking of.

"Oh! That is Lady Sif. I am certain she is looking for Modi and Magni again. Afraid they are just like their father, adventurous and courageous. Has gotten them into quite the trouble sometimes," she said. I nodded and excused myself from the Aesir couple briefly. They were discussing my sleeping arrangements and such. I'd just be a moment.

"Excuse me? Sif? I, um, know where your kids are. They're hiding in the trees." I motioned towards the grape tree that I had just seen one of the boys climb up.

Sif sighed, exhaustion showing in her eyes. "Oh, thank the Goddesses. They were giving me quite the fright." She paused before saying something else. "Mortal?" she addressed me.

I jumped. "Yes?"

"Thank you. My apologies for scaring you earlier. Word of your forthcoming has traveled quickly. I do hope you are as harmless as most mortals tend to be. May the luck of Valhalla be with you." She ran across the yard towards the tree, her white dress swishing at her ankles. I tried out a smile, ignoring the semi-insult. _Whatever_, I thought.

After I joined back up with Nanna and Balder, Balder waved goodbye as I was taken to a small room decorated with beautiful jewels, art, and gold, of course. I gaped at the sight and Nanna smiled.

"I see your accommodations are to your liking. Am I correct?"

It was a struggle to keep my mouth from foaming. "Yes, very much so, thank you." Not to my liking, per say . . . but to my _loving_. I couldn't even begin to comprehend what was happening. They were actually letting me stay, for a little! The homesickness was gone for now, but I was sure it wouldn't be forever. I suddenly wondered what my parents were going through. Maybe I should have written them a letter or something before I left, like they did in the movies. Darn it! Why didn't I think these things through? First, skipping school, and now this. I was certainly on a role.

As if my inner loser was getting accommodated to the place, I tripped over my own feet and landed on my new bed. Normally, I would be irritated, but this bed was too lovely to make me mad. I was floating on clouds in the night sky. Nothing could ever disturb me here.

I didn't even bother to kick off my shoes before I knocked out asleep on the bed. Heaven on earth . . . or Asgard, that was.

**-O-O-O-**

"_Who are you?" _

_". . . . Your God," he whispered. _

I gasped awake, my hands grasping my shirt tightly. Where the hell was I? The room was bright and unfamiliar to me. Worriedly, I wondered if I should call the police. I then searched for my phone in frantic movements, bumping my hand into the wall to my left as I swung this way and that. Where the heck was my phone . . . ?

"Riley?" A woman I instantly recognized as Nanna strolled through the door. In her arms were the sweetest smelling things I could have ever been lucky enough to get a whiff of_. _It all came back in a kaleidoscope of images_. _Melting book, Asgard, new room, Nanna, Balder; it all made sense now. My face flushed and Nanna looked worried. Her eyebrows were knitted together tightly.

"Is everything all right? I do hope I did not wake you. I just thought you would be famished after your journey . . . here."

It was true. I _was_ really hungry. My mouth watered at the delicious smell. But I couldn't stop my heart from pounding a hundred miles a minute.

"Oh, it's okay. Thank you. Thank you," I repeated awkwardly.

Nanna nodded and left the tray on the table near the door. She paused for a moment, as if thinking. But instead of saying something, she turned around and left. I watched her leave, my breathes getting slower and slower as time ticked on.

With a grunt, I pulled myself up from the ever-so comfortable bed and towards the tray of heavenly food. There was a note on top of the tray.

_'Enjoy, Riley. Please wait in your room until the Allfather summons you. My husband will fetch you when time persists. _

_-Nanna'_

I smiled and reminded myself to thank Nanna again for the meal. Lifting the lid, I gasped at what I saw. It was hotcakes with syrup, powdered sugar, raspberries and cream. There were sugared grapes on the side and a goblet filled with a sweet smelling liquid. My mouth simply watered. As I thought about it, my last meal had probably been a handful of Cheezits and a diet coke. I couldn't believe the amount of food that was in front of me. If this wasn't heaven, I didn't know what was.

After I had successfully stuffed myself to the brim and then some, I laid back on my bed, staring at the ceiling. If someone had a gun pointed to my head and asked me to stuff down one more sugared grape, I would literally die. They sure seemed to eat a lot here. But in no time, I became almost a little anxious. Being cooped up here wasn't exactly my idea of a fun day, but I decided to take what I had for now and listen to Nanna. If she thought it would be best for me to stay inside, so be it, I guess. She was the Goddess in this situation.

So, instead of disobeying a direct order, I looked around my room, opening drawers and closets. In one of the book shelves, I found an empty notepad. Each individual page was lined in gold and a feathered pen was lying in the pages, untouched. My spirits rose. Searching for some ink, I found a small bottle of dark blue liquid and began to write on the pages. My messy brawl almost seemed too ugly for the beautiful pages, but I continued anyway.

'_September 30th, Thursday. Dear Mom and Dad,_

_I've been in Asgard for no more than twenty four hours and yet I already feel like I belong. Everyone is so kind here! I wish you could meet them, but I'm sure they wouldn't approve of more uninvited guests. It took a little for everyone to warm up to me. _

_I'm __so__sorry for leaving you all so suddenly. I just needed to uncover this for myself. Unfortunately, I have no other way of communicating with you other than through letter, so you'll have to put up with my stupid handwriting. Honestly, though, I'm not even sure how I'm going to mail this letter to you anyway. _

_I know you'll probably think I'm crazy, but it's true. I am truly in Asgard. I know it. I wish you could meet Balder and Nanna. They have been extremely kind to me. See? I told you I can make friends! Anyway, say 'Hi' to Ricky and Hayley for me, if you catch a glimpse of them. If I know Ricky, he's probably staying over at Destinee's. And Hayley is just like me, so she's probably in detention. __**Please **__don't worry about me; I am in the best of hands. Can you believe it? I'm actually happy here. Happy! And you know it's not one of those feelings I ever really show. I'm sorry about that, too. Though, I know I wasn't exactly the best or easiest person to take care of and deal with; I really do love you guys. Ricky included. Don't worry too much. Its better this way, trust me. _

_Until later, _

_-Riley '_

I stared at the letter for a very long time, burning it into my retinas. God, how I missed my family. I never thought I would actually miss them until they weren't actually around. I remembered the saying, 'you don't really understand how important things are until they're gone' and how true that really was. I just took everything for granted back at home. I knew that now.

After a while, the letter was just depressing me, so I shoved it into one of my drawers and slammed it shut. My hands shook a little and I squeezed a pillow for comfort, missing my old bear, Snuffles.

A period of uncharted time went by and after a long pause; I pulled the curtain on my window aside and was instantly blinded by the severe light. It took my eyes a few seconds to adjust, but when they did, I knew I would still need some more time. I was utterly surprised into silence at the sight of the city yet again. Its beauty was unparalleled by anything I had ever seen. I wanted to text my whole family a picture, but my phone was still lying atop the mountain in ruins. Ultimately, though, I probably couldn't get reception in a cloud city anyway.

A sudden rap of loud knockings came from my door and I bolted upright, twisting the knob and whipping it open expectantly. Just as I thought, Balder was on the other side. He grinned, causing my stress to vanish like mist in sunlight.

"Ah, miss Riley!" he marveled. At least he wasn't still calling me 'Um-Riley.' That was for sure.

"I am here to give you these. You shall wear them to the meeting tonight in Odin's tower. Our King is holding a meeting for the Gods of Asgard and has requested your presence. It is very good news, you see," he explained. I took the folded up clothing from his arms and smiled back.

"Thank you, I'll be ready. Don't worry!"

Wow! I was actually going to attend a party for the Gods! This day was definitely taking a wonderful turn of events.


	4. Chapter 4

****Chapter four****

**-The first feast-**

The dress was gorgeous. I never knew I could actually look that beautiful. The dress was a floor length, with flowing white silk and long sleeves that twirled past my wrists. The top was sleeveless and embroidered in golden lace. For a semi flat-chested girl like me, it surprisingly fit my body perfectly. The material was soft and heavenly, like flowing water. When I spun around, the bottom flared out only slightly, making me look like a lily flower. The bright ginger of my hair was a nice touch as well and I was surprised to find myself adoring my light blue eyes. For once.

"Are you ready with your evening wear yet, mortal?" Sif's impatient voice came from behind the door. I glared and rolled my eyes at myself in the mirror, silently asking my reflection if she could believe this chick.

"Yeah, you can come in!" I eventually called in reply. The door opened and surprisingly, a large group of ladies came rushing through, followed by an older woman of extreme beauty. Her dress, I saw, was covered in golden lace and silks. She literally sparkled with every step.

She smiled at my obvious surprise and bowed her head slightly. "Hello, my dear. I do not think we have had the pleasure to meet. I am Frigg, Odin's wife," she said in a sing-song voice. Her face was kind, as well as the twinkle in her deep blue eyes. I immediately liked her.

"Hello, your majesty," I replied bashfully, attempting a curtsy. Now, it seemed, there were so many people in the room; I was starting to feel claustrophobic. But Nanna stepped forward and I was immediately comforted. In a simple white dress with her hair up in a tight braid behind her back, she looked lovely.

"Riley, I would like to introduce you to the royal Goddess of Asgard. In turn, this is Lady Freya, Idunn, Lofn, Nott, Sigyn, Skade, Gerd, Lim, Fulla, Gna, Eir, Var and Gefjon. They are the ladies of Frigg, our queen," Nanna explained, pointing to each goddess in turn. I stared open-mouthed at the gorgeous women. There were so many of them. Some blonde, some brunette and others fair haired. All beautiful.

"Oh! I know we are going to be the best of friends, mortal!" the girl presumed at Freya cried. She beamed at me with pearly white teeth, her blonde hair tied up in an extravagant bow. I gasped as she wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace. When she pulled away, I noticed the gray cat brushing up against the bottom of her dress. Freya picked it up and cuddled with the creature lovingly.

Frigg stepped forward, two other women standing beside her loyally. Their faces were impassive, but kind looking.

"Please, ladies, let us give the mortal some room to breathe. Come here child. We shall fix you up." I watched as the majority of them left, leaving Frigg, Nanna, Freya and the one identified as Idunn.

"Fix me up?" I asked in fearful curiosity. Freya nodded excitedly, her smile sparkling. "Of course! I would absolutely _love _to do your hair, if that is fine. It is so _fiery_!" spoke she. Her cat meowed loudly and leapt onto my bed, circling before lying down. Frigg smiled.

"I guess that would leave me with your make-up, Nanna with your nails and Idunn assisting Freya with your hair. Let us be at work then." I frowned as the Goddesses all got to work around me, sitting me down in a vanity and washing their hands.

"Why are you helping me, my lady?" I asked. It was true. I had no idea why they were helping me. We had only just met and yet they were already acting like my girlfriends.

"Because, my dear," Frigg began. She started to apply cream to my cheek. "You are our honored guest, as my husband has spoken quite highly of you. We have never met a Traveler before, you see. It has been quite the commotion." A traveler? What on earth was that? Who, exactly, did these people think I was?

"Um—"

"Relax, child, we will not harm you." I only just realized how tense my shoulders actually were. With a shaky sigh, I struggled to listen and relax, though questions kept gnawing at my heart like rats.

Freya chirped up, holding pins in her perfectly pink lips. "Do not worry, mortal, we mind not the work! Quite the opposite, you see. We have not had a mortal in our realm in so long. It is such a nice surprise. I just hope we are not scaring you in any way. It is not our intention at all. Merely sit back, relax and let us make you gorgeous," said she.

I smiled, feeling a bit better. "Thank you; all of you! You have no idea what this means to me. I only wish . . . I could repay you, somehow," I murmured.

"Nonsense, Riley," Idunn spoke for the first time. "You seem to think that you owe us, yet you do not. Believe in gifts, Riley. This is but a gift. Enjoy it."

I thought over what she said and it kind of made sense. Might just be because it was hard to argue with a Goddess, but I thought I started to feel better afterward.

In only fifteen minutes, I was dazzling. My hair was braided loosely and tied up in the back, held together with diamond pins. My eyes sparkled with eye shadow and my lips were a rosy pink-red. A single diamond pendant was draped around my neck, glittering like a thousand stars. If I thought I couldn't ever get more beautiful than before, this was trump.

"Beautiful. But you seem to be missing something . . . " Frigg began, looking around the room. Her eyes fell on a vase of flowers and she plucked one from the collection, tucking it in a strand of my hair. A white rose.

~O~O~O~

We were transported to the great hall in carriages. They were done up in fine velvets and rich colors of gold. Everything seemed decorated and beautiful. As if not a single wicked thing lived or breathed here. Which, of course, was impossible. With every apple, there was a seed, I heard someone say once. _Where was the seed here?_ I wondered. _Would it become shown to me soon?_ I crossed my fingers and hoped not. For once in my life I was actually enjoying myself; I didn't need my bad luck ruining it.

The carriage bounced over stones and pebbles, making me bump in my seat. Nanna, Freya, Frigg and Idunn were with me, either staring out the windows or staring at their hands. I guess none of them really wanted to delve into conversation. Which was okay with me. I didn't mind long silences.

We arrived at the castle in less than ten minutes. It was kind of a short ride. The night sky glittered with stars and a large full moon. Even _they_ appeared to be brighter and bolder here than at home.

I stared in awe at the women and men entering the great hall. Most of which were wearing fine armor and silver, but some wore actual dresses and interesting suits that looked nothing like the ones on Earth. I probably looked like the only freak, walking around with my mouth wide open and such. As we stepped inside the great doors, I even topped my previous surprise with newer, _bigger _surprise. The palace was frickin' huge! Talk about marble floors and diamond chandeliers. My heart soared.

The abrupt sound of metal hitting the marble floor made the buzzing and conversation in the room ease. An older man stood there, dressed from head to toe in medieval armor. A staff that looked a lot like a spear was in his right hand and I watched everyone in amazement as they kneeled to the ground, staring at their feet. Being a pretty stupid person, naturally, I was probably the last person to bow. My head swished back and forth, watching everyone else in wide-eyed fascination. I eventually kneeled down, but not before I met the eyes of the man who could only be Odin, standing before everyone else like a true God. Light graying red hair covered his left eye and he stood before everyone with an air of superiority and, to my surprise, kindness. My face turned red as I saw he had noticed my confusion. Freya giggled, much to my displeasure.

"Welcome, everyone, to our annual meet of the Gods. It is most a pleasure indeed, to see such strong and determined faces. We are looking well, even in these times of difficulty." He paused to examine the crowd as they murmured in agreement. "It is truly a shame that my son, Thor, could not join us in our night celebration. He is in Jotunheim, courageously fighting back against some of the Jotun armies. We must wish him the best of luck in a safe return."

Many in the crowd nodded and accepted Odin's wishes. I even caught Sif in the crowd, her palm flat against her heart as she murmured something inaudible.

"But better times are forthcoming, greats Gods of Asgard. The Traveler is in our midst, here to accompany us in the battle of all realms. Riley Jonnie Carmen, please stand," Odin ordered. Two things came to mind. First, the question of how he knew my full name. Second, of course, was holy mother of God, he was telling me to stand up. In front of _everyone_.

Taking every ounce of confidence and courage I had, I stood up and gulped. Everyone's eyes were on me, staring me down as if I were a tasty meal. My heart hammered.

Holy crap, I had no idea what to say. Was I supposed to say anything at all? I was drowning! I thought I was downing in atmosphere! Oh my God, I needed help!

But with a rush of determined force, I masked it all off as best I could and placed a shaking hand over my heart, as everyone had before, and bowed. It seemed to be the right thing to do. I might as well played along.

Odin continued. "She has bravely accepted her challenge and will help us be victorious against the advancing realms. Though war was never in our best hopes, tough times have pushed us to the extremes. With the Traveler amongst our ranks, we shall succeed, and Asgard will live on!"

I stopped breathing. I swear I stopped breathing entirely. _Wait . . . What? I'm supposedto save them? But that didn't make any—_

"To Asgard!" Odin shouted, raising his spear.

"To Asgard!" everyone else repeated, standing up and applauding.

_No._

"Wait! Wait, please!" I tried to say above the cheering and celebrating. Though, it was no use. The music returned and everyone began to talk and rejoice. I was left, standing there like a statue, watching everyone else around me in horror. What had I gotten myself into? In sudden panic, I escorted myself out of the great hall and outside for some fresh air. My head was spinning marry-go-rounds.

What was I going to do? I had to get out of here. I couldn't possibly just jump out into the battle and fight like a God! I was only human! What were they thinking? How come I was some kind of savior to them? This wasn't making any sense. I was doomed.

"Hey, are you okay?" someone asked from behind.

I turned around to face a boy. He looked young—fifteen, maybe? With familiar bark colored hair and eyes. Had I met him before?

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" I replied. I hadn't meant to be sharp; I was just anxious.

The boy laughed, and for a brief moment, I felt better. Part of me actually wanted to laugh along, for some strange reason. Those twinkling eyes . . . where had I seen them?

"My name is Forseti, miss. Sorry for not introducing myself in the first place," he muttered.

"Oh." No bells there. "It's cool. I'm—"

"Riley Jonnie Carmen. I heard."

My face caught fire. I struggled to regain composure. I had probably looked like an idiot out there. Stupid, stupid, stupid . . .

"Oh," I said again, my throat like sandpaper. If I had a stick, I would be hitting myself with it right now. Like before in the tower, I felt at total loss for words, as if my tongue was frozen solid. It was a very alarming sensation I despised wholly.

Struggling for something to comment on other than the weather, I looked around the garden, my eyes suddenly drawn back inside Odin's castle or tower-thing. And there, standing smack down in the middle of a group of angry people and Balder, was the man from before. The man with the extremely sad eyes. The man who had saved me in Jotunheim from the Frost Giants and had returned me home. _"Your God,"_ I could still hear him say.

"You," I whispered, my thoughts on Forseti gone. The man's green gaze caught mine from afar, a look of confusion and horror replacing curiosity. I made a small step forward. He was probably over a hundred feet away from me, but he shook his head. Almost immediately, all previous emotions were eradicated from his face and he smiled, putting a finger to his lips. What the hell? Did he just expect me to be quiet about him being in Jotunheim? If he was an Asgardian, what was he doing with the Frost Giants?

By now, the people around him were starting to pick up on his lack of attention and began to look where he was looking. Balder turned . . . I looked away, examining the trees innocently.

"Riley?" asked Forseti. He tilted his head and crinkled his brow. _Composure, idiot, composure!_ my head screamed.

"Um, yes?" I asked. My fake cheerfulness must have been obvious, because Forseti frowned. And all at once, my heart fell and my chest clenched at his frown. Every fiber in my being wanted him to smile again; to make the awful pit in my stomach go away. What was this guy doing to me? It was like I felt happy when he was happy and extremely sad when he was unhappy. This was new.

"I'm sorry, I got distracted. I thought I saw someone I knew from my realm. Silly, right?" I joked uncertainly, still feeling a little choked up.

Forseti offered me an understanding smile and it felt like sunlight coming out from behind the clouds.

"Forseti!" someone yelled suddenly. It took me a moment to recognize Nanna's voice.

The boy's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh! That is my mum. I must go. Please feel better, Riley Carmen. You look utterly pale." And with that, he ran off. It clicked seconds after Nanna and him disappeared. Balder was his father. It all made sense just then! I let myself smile. He definitely had his father's contagious laughter, that as for sure. But I couldn't focus on that now. I needed to find that other man and get him to explain himself. Somehow . . .

I rushed back into the great hall and the loud music hit me like a rock. God almighty I felt light headed. The different smells of beer and meat made me swoon. It was so crowded! There couldn't have been that many people there before, were there? My breaths came out in quick and shallow bursts. That's when I felt the cold fingers on my arm, guiding me outside once again. The sky was darkening and I had a hard time concentrating on what was going on. The panic and fear was going to my head.

"Would you like a glass of leachy juice, miss?" A man's voice ripped me from my thoughts and I cringed. He seemed to be yelling so loud . . . I wanted to smack him across the face. But thankfully, I was able to hold my composure and sigh.

"Sure, thanks," I muttered and took the glass from him, bringing it up to my lips. The red liquid was sweet and almost sour at the same time, sliding down my throat in thick gulps. It wasn't _un_pleasant, but not exactly a delicious drink.

I turned back to the man, unable to remember what the drink was called anymore. He broke into a cheeky grin, his green eyes shining devilishly and dimples mocking me. What the crap? It was him, the man I was looking for. Why hadn't I realized sooner?

"Y-you," I managed to say, though my voice was warped like a drunk. Sleepiness washed over me and my whole body swooned. "Did . . . . . didyoudrugme?" I asked, slurring my words.

"Afraid so, little mortal. But it shan't last long. I cannot have you creating a scene here, of course." His wicked smile was terrifying. I tried to back away, but a loud sound of shattering glass made me stop. I looked down. The grass and my hands were stained a dark red, making me believe there was blood everywhere. But I hadn't felt any pain . . . I just needed to . . . rest.

I collapsed to the ground, my palm stinging as I felt glass and something else being shoved into my hand.

The man leaned down and whispered something in my ear, his breath tickling my cheek. "Smile, my dearest. You are in a happy place. Think not of ill thoughts and _smile_."

His words were confusing and I struggled to listen, feeling blackness envelope my vision a little too soon . . .


	5. Chapter 5

****Chapter five****

**-Lies and tricks make up the game-**

Voices—not my own—called out my name. I felt out of my own body. Where was I? It hurt to move my hands, I knew that for certain. Memories and events were fuzzy and unorganized. It felt like someone just went through my personal system and started throwing thoughts everywhere.

Even worse, my head felt like it had cracked open and not to mention my hands. Desperately, though, I tried to sit up and open my eyes, no matter how much they seemed to weigh.

"Riley!" Who was that? That voice, it sounded familiar. Familiar . . . yet oh-so far away. Then he was standing over me. Balder and Nanna's son . . . Forseti, that was right!

He helped me sit up and I groaned. "Oh, God," I groaned. "I feel like I just got run over by a bus . . . "

Forseti tilted his head. "What _ever_ is that?" he asked. I snorted a light laughter that somewhat resembled a cough. Oh well, it close enough.

"Hey, wait a second, where am I?" Now I was awake. And it was all coming back in drones. Stupid guy had frickin' drugged me! What the heck?

"You reside in Odin's court yard. You seemed to have passed out when I found you here. I think the music and everything else just got to you." Yeah, right. If music and everything else involved _drugs_!

"Oh," was all I answered. It was all I _could_ answer.

Forseti looked sad for a brief moment, his eyes on my dress. "I am so sorry," he murmured. Dread interlocked with anger. I looked for myself, fearing for the worse and in the end, it was just the biggest red stain I had ever seen, down my beautiful white dress. I sighed. Well, it wasn't the worst thing in the world. Easy come, easy go?

I smiled. "It's okay, I'm sure Nanna has more," I murmured. Forseti still didn't look convinced, but he seemed to get distracted. In a mournful fashion, he looked down at my hands and furrowed his brow. That familiar feeling of overwhelming sadness washed over me. He was obviously troubled, but dang; did he have to make everyone else feel it?

"Riley, your hand, it is— "

Bleeding. I noticed the moment his sentence died. My entire hand was covered in my blood. And for a brief moment, I just stared at it as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. There was a paper caught in it, too, along with a piece of glass. The grotesque sight was almost . . . fascinating. And disgusting, that too.

Forseti took my hand and carefully pulled the piece of glass out of my palm. I heard my own painful cry and he winced. The pain, literally, knocked the breath out of me. More than anything, I wanted to just mouth off. Forseti probably wouldn't even know the meaning of the words . . .

"Riley, please remain still. I am going to get Eir, so do not move." His accent was intriguing in my loopy state, but in the end, I just nodded and waved my okay hand.

He ran off immediately and I took that chance to open the folded up piece of paper with my free hand. It took a few tries, but eventually I had it unfurled in my face. The white paper was stained with red juice and blood. I cringed. But the feeling of dread I felt before couldn't even sum up what I felt after I read the note.

_Riley,_

_Meet me under the grape tree that Modi and Magni climbed earlier. Come alone._

_-Your God_

Oh my God. It was _him_! The son of a gun that drugged me and now expected me to meet him—alone—to try and talk. He _had_ to be insane. My further suspicions were realized. He was mad.

**~O~O~O~**

The next hour was painful and completely uncomfortable. Eir had helped me, sewed me up and laid me back in my bed in the Goddess's chamber. Apparently, for me, the meet was over. That was for sure. But I didn't mind. It was nice to relax in silence again, although the note kept nagging at me. I couldn't believe I was actually contemplating whether or not I wanted to meet him. But the decision was soon made.

No way in freaking hell.

Okay, so that wasn't exactly what happened. In actuality, Eir would need to re-sew up my palm because I thought I ripped a few stitches climbing out the window. I honestly couldn't believe what I was doing. But I needed answers. If I was going to get back home, I might need this person. Besides, if he _really_ wanted to kill me; I would be dead now. Right?

The quiet Asgardian buildings towered over me, casting long shadows down the empty roads. Everything seemed so peaceful at the moment. There were no fighting warriors, gardeners, carriages or passerby. Just total and utter silence.

I stopped when the grape tree came into view, its branches twisted and more grotesque than I had remembered. But I tried to not let it get to me as fear climbed up my spine.

"It seems my bets were correct. You _would_ show. How . . . fitting." The man stepped out from behind the tree, his slinking form sending even more shivers up and down my back. The hairs on my neck stood erect.

"What do you want?" I asked curtly. My hands flexed at my sides, but a spike of pain made them relax. The stitches were still fresh in my mind.

In a joking fashion, the man laughed and spun behind me, tugging a strand of my hair before darting out of my reach. "What, do I not make fun company? I merely asked of you to join me for a spell and yet you treat me as if I am already an enemy. I did, indeed, save your life, did I not?" The way he spoke was intriguing, as if proper—no—_normal_ English wasn't good enough for him. He had to add a bit of a twist. And along with his accent, it almost felt as if he were speaking a totally different language.

"You drugged me in order to give me a note. Might I add, a very conspicuous note at that. Lord forbid you just walk up and talk to me." My tone wasn't joking. I was dead serious.

But the man snickered and carried on. "Lord forbid," he echoed. "Words of strange choice. But it matters not. I asked of you for a very important and dire issue. You see, my brief absence from Asgard has been covered with a story of visiting Thor Odinson, my kind-of-so-called brother," he murmured, pacing as he spoke, the shadows danced in his wake. I stared at him in confusion, wondering what exactly a "kind-of-so-called brother" was.

"What's—" I began.

The man rolled his eyes and sighed. "Complicated," he answered. "Moving on. I need you—" He stopped and pointed at me for emphasis. "To keep my arrival in Jotunheim Kingdom a secret. Likely, if the rest of this unkindly race discovered my true whereabouts, I would be blamed for things never done and sentenced to damnation. Which, in case you fail to realize how boring that is; speaking from experience; I would be bound and wholly stilled for nearly a decade or two before I be deemed free again. And in no means would be I to rest in delight in the knowing that I did something of amusement. Because being wrongly accused of something is _far_ less fun than being rightly accused of something amusing. Like, say, swapping everyone's attire for something of the opposite sex, or replacing silverware with snakes. That sort of deal. Do you not see my obvious dilemma?" he asked.

Literally, my jaw fell to the floor. He just wouldn't stop talking. And talking. And talking, of things and words that seemed entirely unintelligible. I couldn't even begin to muster a response.

"Riley Jonnie Carmen, are you losing my train of thought?" he asked exasperatedly.

"I—uh, well . . . "

He sighed. "Then let me put this plainly. If you so much as peep a word of me being in Jotunheim and rescuing you; which you are very welcome, by the way; I will slaughter your entire family and set everyone you have ever spoken to—and I mean _everyone_—on fire. Am I not the tiniest bit clearer?"

This time, a whole new sense of surprise washed over me. Something of a mixture of fear, irritation, utter awe and . . . seething rage. I swear, if I wasn't leaning against the tree for support, I would have passed out right there.

"Might I also mention that as a reward for you keeping your end of the bargain," he barreled through. "I shall answer one question and one question only of your choice." He seemed delighted and proud of himself at thinking of something so clever. The pure vanity in his every word and movement was bitterly hilarious.

I tried desperately to make coherent thought. "O-okay, I guess." It was all I could manage at the moment. My stomach was churning uncomfortably. "But why were you even in Jotunheim in the first place if you knew you'd be accused of something horrible?" I asked.

The man tipped his head to the side and let long tendrils of black hair fall down his cheek. His eyes widened suddenly, grinning. "I am a man of great flower arrangements," he answered proudly.

My shoulders fell and my eyes bugged. "Wait, so, let me get this straight. You're threatening the lives of my entire family and every human being I've ever talked to because you just _had_to pick flowers in Jotunheim illegally." I had recovered my tongue. Finally.

"Possibly," he replied.

"But wait, that doesn't—but. . . flowers . . . I mean . . . Really?"

"No. That was a lie."

I felt my brain spill to mush. "Wait, so you're _not _threatening my entire family and everyone I've ever spoken to?" I asked in a high octave, feeling very confused.

The man rolled his eyes. "Wrong. I am. The flower arrangement part was the lie. Can you try _not_ to be stupid, for once?"

"But—" I finally just shook my head and sighed. "Whatever, I give up. You win—"

"I always win," he interrupted loudly.

"Can I just ask my question and go now? It's late and you're giving me a migraine," I muttered, rubbing my temples.

The man snorted. "You already asked your question. Three of them, actually. But the first is the only one I am truly counting," he murmured.

"What? That's not—you didn't warm me nor even answer it truthfully anyway! How is that fair?" I yelled.

"The bargain was one; and one question only. I said nothing on the notion of truth. You merely failed to realize that. Or anything else, for that matter. Now, I expect you to keep your end of the bargain as told and—"

"Hey, hey, hey! Slow down! Why should I?" My chest was rising and falling in anger and I felt my cheeks flush. Deep down, I had realized my mistake and it made me angry. I couldn't believe I was acting so stupidly. Not that this man was helping at all. Almost every time he opened his mouth I felt like punching it and bruising his stupid flawless face I was so jealous of. I'd kill for a pimple to sprout on his nose.

I sniffed. "You're not playing fair, so why should I?" I continued and his pacing stopped. I looked at his back, my resolve wavering a bit as he turned to face me, shoulders tense. "You realize not the true rules of a game to be played," he began in a harsh whisper. "There are those who follow as spoken to and those who read in-between the lines to see the falsehood of structure in-of-itself. Each and every rule has an escape route. The same as each and every truth has a lie. You should pay more attention to the game you are joining and its rules before interlocking yourself indefinitely."

His words were strained and low, his voice a rushed whisper. I felt the need to growl at him. "But—"

Before I could even get out another word, he was on me, shoving me against the bark of the tree and pinching my lower back, forcing me to arch upwards toward him. I let out a shrill cry, but he silenced it with his other hand. I froze.

"My want for conversing with you is fleeting. You have run my patience quite thin, little fire-bird. So I shall be blunt." His breath tickled my neck and I shivered from a body wracking cold chill. "You have joined _my_ game, Riley. But I am no mere player. You do not even stand a chance against me, so heed my words for I will only warn you once. If you even _try_ to worm your way out of _my_ rules again; I will _break_ you." His grip tightened on my back and I couldn't hold back another cry. "And break everyone you love as well. This is as clear as I shall ever get around you. Understand now?"

I gulped and gasped. "Who are you?" I tried to snap, but my voice cracked. A twisted grin swept through his features, toying at his thin lips. And he whispered it only once.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**-The beginning's end-**

Climbing back through the window was definitely a lot harder than before. Especially when my limbs were shaking uncontrollably. His threats repeated on-loop throughout my head over and over. I felt like a broken record player, playing the same one word over again. _Loki._

With a soft thud, my foot landed on the other side of my window and I gingerly pushed myself through the glass pane. It hurt like crazy, but I prevailed, bound and determined to sleep this nightmare away. The air, I noticed, was several degrees colder than it had been before I left. As if my own inner chill cooled even the oxygen I breathed.

Sitting down on the bed, I stared at my wrapped up palm. The white wraps seemed to glow in the moonlight and I almost feared what was beneath them. It went without saying that I needed to do damage control, but it didn't make my stomach any less queasy. With shaking fingers, I quickly unraveled the first few wraps, steeling myself for the soon-to-be horrid view. At last, the cloth fell to the ground in a loop of white and I got a good look at the wound. The cut was long, filling the expanse of my palm with an easy diagonal stroke. Thin black thread held both parts of the skin together and I saw with sickening horror that a few of the stitches were broken. Small blots of blood were forming at the raised skin. I tried not to dwell on the memories of Eir sewing up the wound, in case I decided to be sick. How could doctors ever put up with this kind of stuff? Between the blood and the broken bones, I would be fainting nonstop.

The sight was too much to bear, so I sloppily re-wrapped my hand and lay back in bed. When did my life take such a dramatic turn of events? This whole adventure had been a holiday before this evening. It seemed that no matter what I did, the situation always ended up getting warped and misshaped. I wished, for once, I could just relax and enjoy myself. But in retrospect, events could only get worse from here. As bad as this seemed, things could definitely get a heck of a lot worse. For one, I could just as well easily live, as die. All I needed was a fairly ticked off God and I'd be even toastier toast.

Though my limbs protested angrily, I got up and walked to my desk, sinking down onto a wooden chair. My whole body itched to see my parents again, so, to sort of calm my nerves and process my thoughts, I decided to write to them. Again.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_This whole adventure turned out way differently than I had previously expected. Then again, I have no idea how I really expected it to be. Rainbows and Unicorns? I'm in a completely different realm! I was so stupid; I don't know what I was thinking. You guys were right, I am still a child. I thought I was mature and old enough to make my own decisions and live on my own, but I'm not. I realize that now. I'm just sorry I couldn't tell you guys sooner. Heck, I don't even know if I'll be able to give you this letter._

_If I die here, Mom and Dad, please don't hate me. I was a child, still am, but I'm big enough to realize that now. Tell Ricky to refrain from shaving his head and getting that flaming sword tattoo and . . . tell him I love him, too. That little nut._

_I tell you this, because I don't expect to ever return. Please don't lose your heads, because I've lost mine enough for all of us. I really love you guys. I'm sorry I waited for a seriously drastic situation to finally admit that. More than anything, I wish you the best of luck for many days ahead._  
_Think of me._

_-Riley_

Deep in thought, I tapped the end of the feather pin to my face. Was this really it? Was this the last thing my parents would ever hear of me? Darn, how come I acted so much like a fool? What did I expect by coming here? Of course I wasn't going to be treated as a princess and cared for like a child. I was smack down in the middle of a war against all. Not only that, but I was lying to the very people who were taking care of me. All thanks to evil Loki. Again, why did I need to be caught in the middle of this? Why didn't he just let me die back in Jotunheim? It would have saved him—and me—from a lot of unneeded stress and irritation if I had just died back there. What an idiot I was for thinking he was my savior. I laughed hoarsely._Humorlessly._

He was more like the devil himself.

A drip of black ink fell down my cheek and onto the page, as if signifying the darkness and sorrow of my situation. But before I could call it a bad omen, it twinkled with moonlight and left me feeling even more confused than ever.

The next morning was similar to the other. Nanna had stopped by, gave me my food, told me to wait for her husband to come and get me and I pretty much just sat on my bed, staring at nothing all afternoon. The concept of time was far beyond me, withering away like my fleeting hope. Now, I found the walls the most interesting thing. The soft color of coral pink gave me a sense of calm. Like flying through a sunrise. I figured if I sat there and didn't leave, I wouldn't need to lie to anyone. Loki wasn't telling me everything, which was something I knew for sure. I wasn't totally stupid. He was a lying cheat who wouldn't tell the truth for all the money in the world. If he thought he was a God because of that, he was certainly insane. But dang. Those eyes could make you believe _anything_ he said.

The coldness in the air was suffocating. Whether it was coming from the outside or the inside of me, I wasn't sure. It seemed silly to think I could emanate coldness from within my heart, but falling through a book wasn't exactly the easiest thing to believe either. Tiredly, my eye lids half closed as I let go of a defeated sigh. Depression sure cut deep.

There was a knock at the door, but I made no move to answer it. I hated seeing Nanna be so nice to me, oblivious of the entire situation. I had been awake for most of my history classes. Loki wasn't an Asgardian God; he was a Frost Giant. A deadly evil one at that, too. Lying to Nanna and Balder was like kicking a helpless puppy and watching it whimper. And it was all thanks to Loki.

"Riley? Hello, it is me . . . Forseti. My mother tells me that you could be in use of some company. May I be allowed entrance?"

_Silence._ It was deafening. Was it really me he was talking to? Because strangely, I felt very much out of my own body. "_Please go away,"_ I longed to say, but my lips wouldn't form the words. They stayed frozen shut, chapped beyond recognition.

"You know what," he said, a sickening crunch sounding from outside. "I am coming in. Please forgive me, miss, but you have frightened my parents." The door opened with a loud crack and Forseti stepped inside, his light hair disheveled and almond brown eyes wide. The door knob was crunched in his hand.

I must have had the strangest look on my face because he dropped the golden knob and sat down on the bed next to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder affectionately. An unfamiliar man was standing in the doorway, a bored look on his face. Forseti glanced back to see where I was looking and flashed a kind smile. Annoyingly, my spirits lifted just a little.

"Oh, my apologies, I did not introduce my friend. Ullr, this is—"

"Riley Jonnie Carmen, the Traveler. I am well aware, Forseti," he injected. "Remind me again why we are present? If the Traveler wanted space, which is very obviously the case, we should not have bothered her. She appears white as death."

Forseti looked completely stunned. "Ullr! How could you say such a thing? I believe what Riley is feeling now is what mortals call: homesickness. Something, I am certain, is very unpleasant for Riley. What I think she needs is a hug. Am I right, Ri?" That comment stung like needles. Hayley was the only one who used to call me "Ri . . ."

"Well, my friend, I am afraid "Ri" looks not to have similar feelings. Do you not see her petty dejection?" Ullr commented evenly.

God, if I wasn't totally depressed and jammed in a hole, I would have socked that kid.

"Well, I would have to perceive—" Forseti continued, but I didn't let him finish.

"Guys!" I growled. "For some apparent reason, I think I might have an opinion on the subject at hand. It's not like we're talking about me, for peat's sake."

Forseti smiled and Ullr sighed, crossing his arms. "See!" Forseti stated. "She is back to her snapping self already! I told you, Ullr, hugs cure everything." For the briefest of moments, I saw a halo over Forseti's brunette head. He grinned at Ullr, flashing beautiful white teeth. His bright were filled with such sincerity, I felt like someone had stuck new batteries in me. The radiance that so obviously surrounded Forseti even made the saddest people, such as me at the moment, smile. Even the corner of Ullr's lips raised a fraction of an inch.

The differences between him and Forseti were plain as day, at that moment. Ullr looked purely like a warrior. His blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, silver armor adorned his body and a broad sword lay proudly at his back. It was like an image you would see on the front of a medieval knight's book. Forseti on the other hand, was less . . . severe looking, in a blue tunic with a large brown belt and a quiver full of arrows on his back. Though, I couldn't possibly imagine him ever using them.

Before I could say something else, Freya raced into the room, her blonde hair swishing around her back in wild braids.

"Forseti! You must come now!" she cried. Her blue eyes were wide. They were filled with something . . . panic, I thought.

"It is—" Freya was shaking under everyone's intense stare. _"Out with it, woman!" _I felt like shouting.

"Balder . . . he—he is dead!"

The room went dissonantly silent.


End file.
